Personnel Index - Detail

Name
YULE
First Names
Anthony ('Tony')
Rank
Flight Lieutenant
Service
RAF
Crew Position
Pilot

 

Joined the Squadron in 1961 at RAF Wittering then moved to Marham after a few months.

Remained until 1965 when the Squadron was disbanded.
 


 

Captain Tony Yule, a former Concorde First Officer 1987-1993, who retired on 13 July 2005, after completing 46 years of continuous aviation service.
 

His first period of flying was 15 years in the Royal Air Force with initial flying training on the Hunting Percival Provost (Piston Provost) and Vampire T11. He then flew (for 5yrs) the first of the "V" Bombers, The Valiant, becoming the youngest Captain. Following the break up of the Valiant Force, he flew as a QFI (Qualified Flying Instructor) on the Jet Provost, at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He completed his military time flying as a First officer on the RAF VC10.
 

Tony then joined BOAC later to be British Airways as a First Officer, flying on their Super VC10 until their demise in 1980. He was sent home on basic pay for a year which lasted for 30 months. During this period he flew, for no reward, as joint Captain on a HS125 series 3B for a private owner until being recalled by BA, still as a SFO (Senior First Officer) when he went to fly the BAC1-11 for 4 years. Tony's dream shot came to life when he started a 6 year programme on The Concorde Fleet as a SFO. He gained his Command on the B757 and B767 based in Edinburgh (home country) until his retirement (as it was in those days) at the age of 55yrs.
 

Following on from life in BA, Tony took the offered position as Check and Training Captain on the B767-300ER with Air Europe (Italy), until once again the old age thing cropped up, when the Italians changed the law to stop pilots from flying at age 60.
 

He flew briefly for Ansett of Australia flying out of Nairobi training the Kenyan Airways pilots converting from Airbus A310 to the B767-300ER. This was short-lived as Ansett went into liquidation and Tony took a position in the training role on the B757-200 and B767-300ER with Air Holland in The Netherlands. He stayed in The Netherlands until final retirement at the age of 65.
 

During this last 5 year placing, Air Holland went into liquidation (drug running and money laundering!) after he was there for 3 years. NO, he does not have a 'sniffing' problem!! Holland Exel took over and it too went into liquidation after one year (money laundering and extortion!). There's a clue here perhaps?! Finally, TUI Netherlands took over and is today, successfully running under the name of ArkeFly.

Incidentally, The RAF is 95yrs old this year (2013) and Tony has a family history with the RAF, spanning 75yrs. He attended the Graduation of his youngest son David (who is a third generation graduate); in front of Her Majesty the Queen, at The RAF College Cranwell on Thursday 28 May 2009. David's Graduation took place one day before the 50th anniversary of Tony's own Graduation in 1959 from No 1 ITS (Initial Training School) at RAF South Cerney in Gloucestershire. He also attended the "Wings" ceremony for David on 9 September 2011 at RAF Linton on Ouse. David commenced the Hawk 2 course at RAF Valley in January 2013, hoping to continue on the Typhoon (Euro Fighter).
 

Tony now spends his time trying to sort out the thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours of videos, taken over the years.

He also speaks on aviation in general and Concorde in particular to a wide variety of audiences around the world and aboard the ships of P&O and Cunard.
 

Tony's quote is "For this pilot, as far as I'm concerned, life is about as good as it gets".